To Be Colorblind
Or Not To Be,
That Is the Question

By

Ajay Singh

Updated Oct. 5, 2001 12:01 a.m. ET

The terrorist attacks in America and reports of a backlash against members of certain local minorities have brought into sharp relief an issue that's as old as the United States: Race. From the moment the horrors of Sept. 11 began unfolding, a string of commentators and politicians blamed Middle Easterners backed by an exiled Saudi fanatic hiding in Afghanistan. Many of these same pundits also foamed at the mouth about inflamed passions that could poison America's inter-racial landscape. And most likely, it will be a long time before Americans of Middle Eastern origin or appearance will be looked upon without...